


A Different Christmas

by Kentario



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Party, one of the ones where Jack doesn't get food often
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 04:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15549420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kentario/pseuds/Kentario
Summary: Used to spending the holiday season alone, Jack is summoned by the aurora for a surprise.





	A Different Christmas

Christmas was always a bittersweet time. In the middle of his season, the children would exude excitement, the adults following their example. There was festive music on every corner, wafting from shops and cafes like honey warming up anyone walking by and granting them a smile.

 

However, he’d always spent it alone. A long time ago he’d knitted socks and hung them around his lake, only to find them empty the next morning. Not even coal was left for him.

 

Jack sat on the roof of a church, listening to the concert flowing through the open doors. The wind fluttered around him, combing through his snowy hair and messing it up further. He grinned at her and let his hand hang in the flow of her tendrils.

 

The music from below stopped and a storm of applause erupted. Jack clapped as well, knowing well that it would go unheard. He pretended the sound was lost in the others’ claps instead.

 

The applause died down and the next song began. Jack hummed along to it, closing his eyes and leaning into the wind.

 

_ Holy night, silent night… _

 

Behind his closed eyes a light flickered. He opened his eyes to see the northern lights, ribbons of green traveling across the sky farther than should be naturally possible.

 

Jack jumped into the wind’s embrace. “An emergency,on Christmas? Are you serious?” He raced off toward the North Pole as fast as he could.

 

The city disappeared beneath his feet and was replaced by forests, seas and, eventually, tundra. In no time he was at the workshop. He found the window that was always kept open for him.

 

How strange, he was expected somewhere now, the window an open invitation to enter at his leisure. When before the workshop was an impenetrable fortress, now it was a friend’s home where he was welcome to stay.

 

Jack spied the Guardians already in the Globe room and flew in, closing the window behind him.

 

“Jack! Welcome back!” North thundered in his booming voice. Before Jack knew it, he was crushed in a bear hug. He wiggled an arm free and patted a large shoulder.

 

“Good to be back,” he wheezed. “Is there an emergency?”

 

“An emergency? What?” The chest beneath him boomed.

 

“Mate, it's Christmas,” Bunny’s voice came from somewhere behind him.

 

Tooth fluttered around them and added, “oh, of course, it's your first Christmad with us! No wonder you mistook the lights for an emergency.”

 

Jack heard some shifting sand behind him and North answered, “yes, in a moment, it is just good to have him back,” after which he was released. He took a gulp of air and made sure his staff was in one piece.

 

“So, a party?” He looked around and spotted a large table piled with traditional Christmas foods. The others were finding their places, North at the end, Tooth and Bunny on one side, Sandy on the other. Jack took the remaining seat and hung his staff on the back.

 

North stood with a glass, the others followed. “Yes! It is time for annual party.” He looked around the table, stopping at Jack. “This year we are joined by a new Guardian, a very special occasion. We have been brought together to defeat a great evil and become closer than ever before. Now, let us eat!” He raised his glass and Jack found a glass of juice by his plate. Bunny had a glass similar to North’s, as did Tooth, but Sandy stood on his chair with a mug of eggnog raised. They exchanged toasts and sat back to eat.

 

“Dig in, my friends.”

 

Jack piled his plate high with potatoes, salads, roast and sauce poured over all of it. It was delightful and he said so through a mouthful of food.

 

“Finish what you’re chewing, Jackie,” Bunny muttered.

 

“Of course! Yeti are best cooks,” North beamed, pride in his eyes.

 

Jack groaned in delight, “it's been a while since I've had such good food.”

 

Bunny looked thoughtful for a minute. “Mate, when was the last time you ate?”

 

Jack glanced at Bunny at his question, looking up in thought. “I think… I nicked something a couple weeks ago, not sure. Why?”

 

North was appalled. “Jack!”

 

He looked between the Guardians, wondering what soured the mood, “what?”

 

Bunny looked down at his plate and said, “probably the fact that you have friends now but don't ask them for food.”

 

“Why would I? It's not like we spirits need to eat to survive. And, North, would you stop looking at me like that?”

 

North shook his head, “looking at you like what?”

 

Jack shook his head, “like, I dunno, I’d said something shocking.”

 

“But you did. You have friends who care about you now and you still…”

 

Jack bristled at the sad tone in his voice, “still what?”

 

“Still eat what ya find on the street,” Bunny said and swung back his glass.

 

“But that's how I've always lived, what's so bad about it?”

 

This time North swung back his glass.

 

Tooth spoke up, “surely you know you're welcome in our homes, sweet tooth?”

 

Jack crossed his arms, “well, sure, but to mooch food? Never.”

 

North sighed, “that is what friends do, Jack. They help each other out. Or am I wrong?”

 

Sandy vehemently shook his head. A picture of meat on a bone appeared in sand above his head, followed by a sugar cane, a tooth and an Easter egg giving it to a snowflake.

 

“You are right! You can come to us anytime and we will give you anything your heart desires,” North said. Then he looked at Sandy again, then at his empty plate, “I'm not sure what Sandy would give you though, he doesn't eat at all.”

 

Jack held up his hands placatingly, “guys, it's okay, you don't have to.”

 

“But we want to, mate.” There was no argument in his voice or his smile.

 

Jack gave each of them his own grin. “Thanks a bunch, guys!”

 

To finally have a place where he gets fresh food instead of stealing it or digging through leftovers? He couldn't imagine they'd agree to it but they did. He had a family now.

 

He wiped at his itching eyes and returned to his food.


End file.
